Cold chest



July 4, 1.939.

M. BANKE COLD CHEST Filed Oct. 26, 1936 FIGBl /N'VE/vm/e MARCEL BANKE M'Ztrgzzwlml 4.162%@ FIG.2.

A TTORNE YS Patented July 4, 1939 com Marcel Bauke, Detroit,

poration of Michigan Application october '26,

2 Claims.

This invention relates generally to refrigerating apparatus and has as one of its principal objects to provide a relatively simple inexpensive cold chest of sufficently light weight to permit 5 the same to be readily carried from one point to another. v

Another advantageous feature of the present invention consists in the provision of a portable cold chest having a food compartment containing l0 a cooling unit and having a refrigerant compartment containing a radiator unit communicating with the cooling unit in such a manner as to provide for circulation of a cooling medium through the cooling units by the thermo-syphon princi- 15 ple.

A further object of this invention resides in the provision of means for controlling the temperature of the food compartment by varying the volume of the cooling medium admitted to the coolgo lng unit from the radiator unit. This feature, as well as the foregoing and other objects, will be made more apparent as this description proceeds, especially when considered in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein:-

Figure 1 is a perspective view partly in section of a cold chest constructed in accordance with this invention;

Figure 2 is a cross sectional view taken substantially on the plane indicated by the line 2-2 of Figure 1; and

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken substantially on the plane indicated by the line 3-3 of Figure 2. 1

The cold chest selected herein for the purpose of illustration comprises an elongated food compartment I0 and a refrigerating compartment II of relatively small displacementy as compared to the food compartment I0. The Walls of both of the compartments are lined with a suitable insulating material I2, and the interior of the refrigerating compartment I I is separated from the interior/.of the food compartment I0 by means of the rear insulated Wall I3 of the latter compartment. Access to the interior of the food compartment may be gained through an opening Il in the front wall I5 of this compartment and a door I6 is suitably hingedly connected to the front wall I5 to close the opening I4. The actual Walls of both compartments are formed of thin gage stock, and the relatively light weight lining of insulating material for these walls is of substantial thickness to effectively insulate the interior of the compartments from the surrounding atmosphere. In other words, the construction is such as to provide a unit of suili- CHEST Mich., assignor to Cold Chest Holding Company, Detroit, Mich., a cor- 1936, Serial No. 107,715

(Cl. (i2-101) ciently light weight to permit the same to be readily carried from one point to the other, and for this purpose a handle I1 may be securedto the top wall of the cabinet in a position where it may be conveniently grasped.

In the present instance, the compartment I0 is cooled by a refrigerating unit I8 comprising cooling tubes I9 and radiator coils 20. The cooling tubes I9 are supported within the food compartment I0 and the opposite ends thereof are connected to suitable headers 2| and 22, respectively. The radiator tubes 20 are supported in the refrigerating compartment Il, and the opposite ends of these tubes are connected with suitable headers 23 and 24, respectively. The upper headers of both tube units communicate with each other through the medium of a passage 25, while the lower headers communicate with each other through the medium of a passage 26. The upper header 23 of the radiator' unit is provided with a filler opening 21 through which a suitable refrigerant may be supplied to the unit, and the rate of flow of this refrigerant into the cooling tubes is `controlled by means of an adjustable valve 28 located in the passage 26 between the bottom headers of the units. A sumcient quantity of the refrigerant is supplied to the refrigerating unit I8 to sufficiently fill the latter to permit circulation of the refrigerant through the upper passage 25. For the purpose of coolling the refrigerant in the radiator tubes, I prov vide a container 29 secured to the rear Wall 30 of the refrigerating compartment I I in a position adjacent the radiator tubes. This container may be filled with dry ice, ordinary commercial ice, or any medium capable of cooling the radiator tubes 20. l

With the above construction, it will be noted that as heat is absorbed by the refrigerant -in the cooling tubes I9, this refrigerant expands and causes a circulation through the unit I8 by the thermo-syphon system. In other Words, the refrigerant expanding in the tubes I8 flows into the top header 2I and through the passage 25 to the corresponding header 23 of the radiator unit. 45 As a result, the refrigerant in the radiator unit,- cooled by the medium in the container 29, is caused to iiow past the valve 28 into the lower ends of the cooling tubes I9 through the bottom header zz of these coils and absorbs an additionso al amount of heat from the food compartment I0. In this man'ner, the interior of the food ccmpartment I0 is maintained at a relatively low temperature and the latter may be controlled by regulating the valve 28 to vary the rate or volume 55 of refrigerant admitted from the radiator to the cooling tubes.

In localities where the outside temperature is suiciently low to cool the contents of the compartment I without the use of an artificial cooling medium, the cabinet may be suspended in the window Casement in such a manner that the refrigerating compartment II 1s positioned at the outer side of the window where it will be subjectedto the temperature of the outside air. In this case, the top and bottom Walls 3| and 32, respectively, of the refrigerating compartment may be removed so as to permit a circulation of cold air around the radiator tubes. 'I'he cold air circulating through the refrigerating compartment II around the radiator tubes acts to cause a circulation of the refrigerant in the unit I8 in the same manner previously described in connection with the artificial cooling medium adapted to be located in the container 29.

Thus, from the foregoing, it will be observe that I have provided a relatively simple and inexpensive refrigerating apparatus capableof being readily transported from one point to another. It will also be noted that in certain localities my improved refrigerating apparatus may be eiliciently operated Without the use of artificial cooling means. In addition, it will be understood that provision is made to control the temperature within the food compartment, irrespective of the nature of thecooling means employed in the refrigerating compartment I I to cool the radiator unit.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. In refrigerating apparatus, a compartment to be cooled adapted to be installed inside a building having a higher temperature than the outside atmosphere, a plurality of cooling tubes disposed within said compartment and containing a uid adapted to expand upon the absorption of heat from said compartment, a pair of headers connecting the upper and lower ends respectively of said cooling tubes, a plurality of radiator tubes disposed upon the exterior of the building in contact with the outside atmosphere and containing a fluid adapted to contract upon the radiation of heat to the adjacent atmosphere, a pair of headers connecting the upper and lower ends respectively of said radiator tubes, means establishing communication between the headers at the lower ends of said cooling and radiator tubes to permit a flow of the contracted fluid in the radiator tubes to the cooling tubes, and means establishing communication between the headers at the upper ends of said cooling and radiator tubes to permit a iiow of the expanded fluid in the cooling tubes to the radiator tubes.

2. In refrigerating apparatus, a compartment adapted to be suspended in an opening in the window easement of a building and having one side thereof exposed to the relatively cool outside atmosphere, a cooling tube disposed within said compartment for cooling the contents thereof and containing a uid adapted toexpand upon the absorption of heat from said compartment, a radiator tube disposed upon the exterior of said compartment in contact with the outside atmosphere and containing a iluid adapted to contract upon the radiation of heat to the atmosphere, and a pair of tubes extending through the wall`of the compartment and connecting the upper and lower ends respectively of the cooling tube and the radiator tube to effect a circulation of fluid upon the expansion thereof in the cooling tube and the contraction thereof in the radiator tube.

MARCEL BANKE. 

